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CPP: Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 13: Dünne Polymerfilme

CPP 13.1: Talk

Thursday, March 27, 2003, 10:15–10:30, ZEU/118

Satellite Holes Formation in Thin Polymer Films — •Chiara Neto¹, Karin Jacobs¹, Ralf Seemann², Ralf Blossey³, Jürgen Becker⁴, and Gü n ther Grün⁴ — ¹Experimental Physics, Saarland University, 66041 Saarbrücken — ²Department of Applied Physics, University of Ulm, 89069 Ulm — ³Center for Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66041 Saarbrücken — ⁴Institute of Applied Mathematics, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn

The dewetting of thin polymer films on solid substrates has been studied extensively in the last decade. Here, we describe experiments and simulations concerned with the decay of thin polystyrene films. In the experiments the film rupture is artificially triggered by scratching an initially flat film, resulting in dry channels in the film. The further rupture of the film occurs by the formation of a correlated pattern of holes (“satellite holes") along the liquid rims accumulating at the channel borders. The development of this complex film rupture process, which is neither simply nucleation nor spinodal dewetting, can be mimicked precisely by making use of novel simulation code based on a rigorous mathematical treatment of the thin film equation and on the knowledge of the effective interface potential of the system.

[1] Neto C, Jacobs K, Seemann R, Blossey R, Becker J and Grün G 2002 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter (in press).

[2] Becker J, Grün G, Seeman R, Mantz H, Jacobs K, Mecke K R and Blossey R 2002 Nature Materials (in press).